Monday, March 14, 2011

IF WE HAD A DRAFT

To the editor; the contention of Nathaniel Fink and John Nagl that the long war in Afghanistan is getting shorter (Op-ed, Feb. 21) is not convincing. After sacrificing so much blood and treasure there for almost 10 years, is it not obvious that our mission there has failed and that to remain until 2014 is scandalous? Our mission was to find Osama bin Laden, and we failed. Our mission was to defeat the Taliban, and we failed. Our mission was to curtail the growth and distribution of opium, which strengthens the Taliban, and we failed. The only now, as Mr. Fink and Mr. Nagl indicate, a task force is being appointed "to investigate and expose corruption" in the Afghan government is ludicrous. This corruption has been for many years and has been widely known, while we were assisting it with billions of dollars, better spent on the many pressing needs here at home.

My heart breaks every time I see the names of our valiant troops killed in Afghanistan. Our presence there is not worth the life of one more. If we had had a draft, millions of us would be marching in Washington demanding that we get out now. HDT, Redwood City, CA,